Lt. Col. Ken Howes encourages use of theTow to Go program at a local press conference.

To help ensure that everyone has the opportunity for a safe ride home this holiday season, AAA Auto Club South and Budweiser are once again offering the Tow to Go program. This highly successful program gives adults who have had too much to drink and are without a designated driver, a free ride home and a free tow for their vehicle.

This year, the Tow to Go program runs from November 26, 2003 - January 1, 2004, and will be available throughout the entire state of Florida, and most of the Southeast - including the metro Atlanta and Nashville areas. Use of the program, created in 1998, has increased each year. Last year, Tow to Go helped keep 1,254 potential drunk-drivers off roadways across the Southeast.

Tow to Go is simple to use. Adults who have been drinking and need a ride home from bars or restaurants this holiday season can simply call 1-800-AAA-HELP. AAA will dispatch a tow truck to take both the driver and vehicle home - free of charge. To take advantage of this service, you do not have to be a AAA member. The program is available to all adults who need it.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drunk-driving fatalities have declined across the nation 25% since 1990. In Florida, alcohol-related fatalities have decreased over the last ten years, from 20,159 deaths in 1991 to 17,448 in 2001. This continued decline is due, in part, to heightened public education - especially programs targeting teens and young drivers, tougher DUI laws, increased law enforcement efforts, and implementation of successful programs such as Tow to Go.